Is my cat depressed? :( Please help...

persiancatlover

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Hi, I believe my cat, Harry, is depressed deeply. Hes a half persian 3 year old male. He is not eating that much and I think hes underweight. He has long silver fur so his fur hides him well. I do feel his bones but he still has a little pudgy belly. Harry doesn't like to play or be around my other cats and is always by himself usually. He usually ignores me when I'm calling him or trying to get his attention with a cat toy. I hate to admit it, but I do not give him as much attention as I used to. I have 6 cats so my attention is limited. Harry was one of my first cats so I treated him like my baby. I would always take him to the park or a friend's home when he was a kitten. After I got my second male kitty, I did give Harry a little less attention. I always felt horrible but unfortunately Harry did like to spray even though hes fixed. Now we all know what spray smells like so I can't let him in my home that often. We built a outdoor avery mini house for our cats so they usually sleep there. Anyway, what should I do about Harry? I truly love him but I'm getting really worried for him. Please let me know asap what to do for my baby
 

sharky

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HE is showing signs of illness that are usually easily treated by a VET .. Most on here arent going to tell you anything but that...
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I have to agree that you should bring him to a vet. There is a good chance that it is something simple that could be easily treated.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
 
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persiancatlover

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Originally Posted by sharky

HE is showing signs of illness that are usually easily treated by a VET .. Most on here arent going to tell you anything but that...
WELCOME to TCS
What could they do for him? I'm feeding him wet cat food(I don't usually do that since I don't think its healthy but I know it can help weight gain) and I've been giving him nutri-cal vitamins.
 

AbbysMom

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Originally Posted by persiancatlover

What could they do for him? I'm feeding him wet cat food(I don't usually do that since I don't think its healthy but I know it can help weight gain) and I've been giving him nutri-cal vitamins.
It could be something like a thyroid issue that is easily treated with medication.
 

sharky

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THey will likely examine him and take blood ... the blood would show things like a UTI , thyroid issue , early kidney or liver issues .. all if caught early are relatively easily treated
 

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Also advocating for you to take Harry to the vet a/o.
Wouldn't you like to know that he is fine, if he is, or if he's in need of something, what it is?
Cats are like us -- sometimes we don't know what is wrong with us, or how to best treat it, so we go to a professional who knows a lot more and can be of more help.
Our cats are our responsibility and we love them, so of course we want the best for them, including for them to be as healthy as possible. VET.
Please! Thanks! And let us know, okay?
 

momofmany

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Could your cat be depressed? Yes. Is his behavior a sign of being physically ill or mentally ill? Probably yes to both. Cats that have been ill for a while will look like they are depressed.

The real question is whether he is peeing outside of the box because he is ill or he is being spiteful. You MUST rule out any physical problem before you can determine if it is behavioral in nature.

If you take him to a vet and rule out any physical problem with him, then you must seriously look at his emotional situation at home. If he's not happy competing with other cats all the time and this is causing him emotional problems, then think about finding him a good home where he can be the center of attention once again. If you love him, then his physical and emotional needs must come before your own. I don't say this to be harsh, I say this to be realistic.
 

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I have posted in the past too about possible behavioral issues, but the collective experience of all these cat moms and dads on this forum will tell you definitely get him to the vet first before ruling on a depression.

Cats may get upset with you or get depressed, but usually that does not amount to weight loss. Depression usually expresses itself with them sleeping more and eating more too.

Also if he is sick and has already lost weight, he could go down fast if you let it go. That always s&cks and ends up costing more.

Especially since your guy is outside, he could have picked something up, even just if he caught a bird or mouse, it could give him tapeworms etc. I have 2 outdoor ferals and they are always getting into things like that.

Good luck, I really hope your boy is ok. I just got back from the vet with my boy a few hours ago too. I also thought he was just bummed because I have some foster kittens who are taking all the attention from him. Well to make a long story short, I kept an eye on him and caught him swallowing more than usual, so I called the vet. It turned out he has a sore throat and lost his little kitty voice too. I think he caught it thru the screen door from one of my outside kitties because she had something like it a few weeks earlier.
 

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Originally Posted by BarbB

I have posted in the past too about possible behavioral issues, but the collective experience of all these cat moms and dads on this forum will tell you definitely get him to the vet first before ruling on a depression.

Cats may get upset with you or get depressed, but usually that does not amount to weight loss. Depression usually expresses itself with them sleeping more and eating more too.

Also if he is sick and has already lost weight, he could go down fast if you let it go. That always s&cks and ends up costing more.

Especially since your guy is outside, he could have picked something up, even just if he caught a bird or mouse, it could give him tapeworms etc. I have 2 outdoor ferals and they are always getting into things like that.

Good luck, I really hope your boy is ok. I just got back from the vet with my boy a few hours ago too. I also thought he was just bummed because I have some foster kittens who are taking all the attention from him. Well to make a long story short, I kept an eye on him and caught him swallowing more than usual, so I called the vet. It turned out he has a sore throat and lost his little kitty voice too. I think he caught it thru the screen door from one of my outside kitties because she had something like it a few weeks earlier.
GREAT advice, BarbB -- you're obviously very caring and extremely observant of your felines, which is how we all need to be! They don't exhibit illness or other discomforts like a lot of humans do, by "wearing it on the sleeve"; so we have to be vigilant. And they're usually very smart about not eating bad things -- but not always, unfortunately. Good on ya for being such a caring Meowmy! and sure hope your post helps Harry and his Meowmy.
 

naia

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There are a lot of good advice on here. If you see that your cat has physically lost a lot of weight, don't wait. Take him to the vet. If there were a problem, it'd be best to have it treated early than late.

Keep us posted on Harry.
 
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persiancatlover

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Originally Posted by MonaxLisa

It might even be something like a virus or worms. You might want to talk to your vet before you bring him in and see if they want a stool sample.
Well Harry had worms as a kitten but I quickly caught it and got medicine for him. I sometimes check out the stool to make sure everything is normal also.
 

tarasgirl06

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Originally Posted by persiancatlover

Well Harry had worms as a kitten but I quickly caught it and got medicine for him. I sometimes check out the stool to make sure everything is normal also.
But you can't always tell by visual inspection; that's why it's important for the doctor to run tests. (S)he has the equipment to perform more kinds of analyses and catch even bacteria too small for the eye to see.
 
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persiancatlover

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Ok I took Harry to the vet yesterday. Unfortunately my vet wasn't in that day so I'm not sure if Harry was treated as best as he could have been. Anyway, the vet did say Harry was somewhat depressed from what I told him and his symptons are common to depression. Harry is 5.3 pounds which is at least a few pounds underweight and with a high calorie diet and lots of attention, Harry should be fine. Now I'm a little worried because the vet said they felt a small round shaped object inside his lower tummy. They said it could be stool stuck in there and its curable. My thing is that I can't really trust this vet because like I said earlier hes not the vet I'm used to, so its hard to believe whats going on. My vet has seen Harry since he was a kitten so I guess I would feel more comfortable with the diagnosis coming from him. Also the new vet said it would require to put Harry to sleep during the surgery and I just can't put my baby to sleep with all the risks. So I guess I'm going to take Harry to the vet on Monday when my vet is in. Right now I'm keeping Harry in a bathroom with his own litter box and food/water. I want him to relax and get ready for the vet on Monday. Does it seem like I'm doing the right thing? I'm going to get bloodwork done on Monday so Harry and I will both be comfortable and hopefully I'll know more then. Also does anyone have tips as to fattening Harry up? I've been giving him high-calorie vitamins,dry food,fancy feast, and lots of love. Btw thank you all very much for your support and information. I will keep everyone updated on Harry
 
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persiancatlover

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Originally Posted by BarbB

I have posted in the past too about possible behavioral issues, but the collective experience of all these cat moms and dads on this forum will tell you definitely get him to the vet first before ruling on a depression.

Cats may get upset with you or get depressed, but usually that does not amount to weight loss. Depression usually expresses itself with them sleeping more and eating more too.

Also if he is sick and has already lost weight, he could go down fast if you let it go. That always s&cks and ends up costing more.

Especially since your guy is outside, he could have picked something up, even just if he caught a bird or mouse, it could give him tapeworms etc. I have 2 outdoor ferals and they are always getting into things like that.

Good luck, I really hope your boy is ok. I just got back from the vet with my boy a few hours ago too. I also thought he was just bummed because I have some foster kittens who are taking all the attention from him. Well to make a long story short, I kept an eye on him and caught him swallowing more than usual, so I called the vet. It turned out he has a sore throat and lost his little kitty voice too. I think he caught it thru the screen door from one of my outside kitties because she had something like it a few weeks earlier.
I'm sorry about your Kitty! I would like to point out Harry isn't a outside cat. Its hard to explain but we kinda built a outside house for our cats that has a roof and gate doors around it. They can't get out unless one of us opens the door. We have coyotes where we live so our animals NEVER go outside.
 
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persiancatlover

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Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

But you can't always tell by visual inspection; that's why it's important for the doctor to run tests. (S)he has the equipment to perform more kinds of analyses and catch even bacteria too small for the eye to see.
That does make sense. But I'm going to have bloodwork done on Harry on Monday so I'll hopefully know more soon.
 
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